franchise


a
(1)
: the right or license granted to an individual or group to market a company's goods or services in a particular territoryalso : a business granted such a right or license//just opened a new fast-foodfranchise down the street


(2)
: the territory involved in such a right

b
: a constitutional or statutory right or privilegeespecially : the right to vote

c
: a special privilege granted to an individual or groupespecially : the right to be and exercisethe powers of a corporation

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Post_Office_Department

The United States Post Office Department(USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, established in 1792. From 1872 to 1971, it was officially in the form of a Cabinetdepartment. It was headed by the postmaster general.